Japan

2019

black & white 35mm film

‘After hiking for five hours with Joel in the mountainous area of Hakone we had finally arrived to Lake Ashi, where the world famous Torii-gate stands by the lake. I love buying snacks in Japan, you don’t really know what you’ll get if you don’t have a basic understanding of hiraganas or katakanas. All the packages are also colourful and very cute, the amount of plastic does worry me though. Wrapping in a wrapping, but in cute wrapping though! I guess it still does make a hypocrite, I’m the one buying these cute little green tea bottles and the amazing bento boxes. After my snack dilemma we sat down and let our legs relax after the long hike. It was really peaceful, the lake was bigger than the one at home and it also didn’t smell like it. It’s a lovely smell though, I could be anywhere in the world and would recognize the smell in an instant. Suddenly and without a warning, the snowy peaks of Mountain Fuji appeared out of nowhere and were now looming in the background. First I thought that the snow was a ripped cloud in the sky but slowly the view became clearer and then we knew that it was Fuji-sama itself.’

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Japan is a country, which constantly inspires me and my practice. After leaving my home country of Finland, only in Japan I’ve had the sensation of home and a feeling of belonging, which is why everything there feels magical and ought to be documented.